{"nrhp_refnum":"12000324","name":"Belvidere North State Street Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"State St. between Hurlbut St. & Kishwaukee R.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Belvidere","county":"Boone County","state":"IL","lat":42.260397705500054,"lon":-88.8440080426015,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2012-06-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A commercial historic district of 41 properties on four blocks of North State Street and part of Lincoln Avenue in Belvidere, Boone County, Illinois, between Hurlbut Street and the Kishwaukee River. Its buildings date from about 1850 to 1955.","why_significant":"The district is argued to be an important commercial center of Belvidere from 1850 through 1962. Its buildings tell the story of the city's founding, when westward travel from Chicago was increasing, and of its growth in the early 20th century. It includes the city's oldest commercial structure, built about 1850, and a marker for the 1842 American House hotel.","narrative":"North State Street in Belvidere, Illinois, runs from Hurlbut Street south to the Kishwaukee River. It holds a district of 41 properties, 32 of them contributing. Most are attached one- to three-story brick commercial buildings dating from about 1850 to 1955. The oldest is a three-story building from about 1850, and a granite marker commemorates the 1842 American House hotel. Many buildings are Italianate or early 20th-century Commercial Style, and most are plainly designed, with less ornament than the commercial area south of the river. Gaps in the street wall mostly come from service stations built before 1949. State Street was part of the Illinois State Road linking Chicago and Galena and later carried Federal Highway 20. The district was listed because it records Belvidere's founding, when westward travel from Chicago was increasing, and its commercial growth through 1962. Non-contributing buildings have lost character-defining features through later alterations.","period_of_significance":"1850-1962","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Italianate; Late 19th/Early 20th Century: Commercial Style; Modern Movement; Other","criteria":[],"status_note":"Most buildings are described as in good condition and still used for commerce, including businesses, restaurants and a theater. Some storefronts have been altered or sheathed in newer materials.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.684611-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/26/8917/28891726/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/12000324.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000324/a2fbe61df3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/12000324/a2fbe61df3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Teemu08","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belvidere_North_State_Street_Historic_District.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Teemu08</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belvidere_North_State_Street_Historic_District.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891726","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belvidere_North_State_Street_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16822992"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/boone-county/belvidere-north-state-street-historic-district-12000324/"}